Mayor Ed Fare, left, and Deputy Village Clerk Rich DeAngelis checked out the carp at the lake in Hendrickson Park. The village will host a free family fishing weekend on June 29 and 30.

Fare said he’s looking forward to kids getting the chance to fish for the first time, especially in Valley Stream. He added that it’s great when, “kids get excited and take vested interest in their community and they can tell their friends, ‘I fished in the lake.’”

There are mostly carp in the lake, but DeAngleis said there are also sunnies, eels and turtles that call Hendrickson Park home.

“I learned how to fish here and I’ve been fishing ever since,” DeAngelis said. “I hope that on that day some young people get the bug and want to continue to do it. It’s something that you can do for the rest of your life.”

As of Tuesday, about 450 people registered for the weekend of fishing, which will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. that Saturday and Sunday. Village officials are making calls to the people who have signed up to ask them to come at staggered times to help reduce congestion. People can fish for as long as they’d like, but are asked to arrive in two-hour blocks — either from 10 a.m. to noon, noon to 2 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. To sign up, call (516) 872-6003.